Opiate
by SMYGO4EVA
Summary: Oneshot. If I say, shut your eyes. Aku/Momo, vague hints of Toshiro/Momo.


Opiate  
By SMYGO4EVA

She didn't take the time to think about what she was doing.

She didn't think about how she had arrived to an infernal place such as this.

She knew why she was there…

'_Shiro…._

She was sure that she was here just for him, her dear friend, for the sake of preserving his life, to repay the debt that she had yet to give to him.

She would pay a high price just for him.

Just for him.

Momo gripped her zanpakuto tightly, her fingers wrapped around the hilt as if she would fall apart if she had let it go, but she would have to let it go if she had to be strong.

Her sword was powerful and a part of her birthright, but it was also a crutch. Her sword was a crutch that was holding her together when she was torn apart by the world's cruelty, hiding what true strength she had.

It only held her back, and it did not allow her to grow into her full potential, that a warrior would fight without a sword when the time was dire.

She wanted to protect Toshiro, the same way that he had protected her for years.

That was why she was to give away her sword; to protect her friend.

_Tobiume….forgive me…_

She wouldn't only give her sword away to what hellish force she was seeing.

Not the only thing….

She finally broke free from the train of thought she had entranced herself in, and looked upon her surroundings.

Crimson flames were painted all over what realm she had found herself in, almost suffocating to look upon or even gaze at for any longer.

She walked precariously and cautiously to the edge of what she was placed on, looking down to only see blackness surrounded by the painted flames. She swallowed, lost for words, and stepped back from the precipice.

If she had fallen into what darkness was there, she had the uneasy feeling that she would have being falling forever, for all eternity.

A damning fate that would have been.

Momo shook at that thought.

She would deserve damnation for making a deal with the devil, for forgoing her own life to save a friend, so that he wouldn't have to have her as a burden on his shoulders.

So it had to be done.

As if spoken by the devil, a rumbling erupted from the blackness of which was the center of the realm that she was summoned to. Momo cursed herself for her curiosity as she cautiously looked down, into the eye of the realm, to see what was to emerge from the center.

Thick, coiling shadows slithered and slunk from the bowels of the crimson realm, releasing a jolt from the soul reaper where she fell right on her backside from the sheer force of the shadows.

The shadows that were once formless, a black hole of nothingness, became something or someone, right before her very eyes. She held her sword in its sheath close to her, for a second regretting ever coming to the place, before she saw what become of the shadows.

What was once made of the blackness had become something else entirely, or more in the means of someone not of this world.

Before her, there was a huge black figure, made entirely of the shadows she had seen emerge from the center of the real. The figure had black, ebony eyes that were not of this world, nothing that she had seen before, eyebrows alit with an everlasting fire, an emerald green complexion that only was of his nose and mouth, complimented by a crimson orange beard, and quite an unusual set of teeth, two on the top and lower teeth were incisors or tusks that belonged to a wild boar. His hands were the instruments of his evil deeds, as they were as black as his supposed heart, and supplemented by the spikes for shoulders and chevron-like horns.

He was the demon that she had heard so much about.

Aku.

_**"Such a foolish, naive girl. You dare enter the realm of the Deliverer of Darkness, the great Aku?" **_

The demon's voice resonated through the realm, but also within the young Soul Reaper, who was near trembling in her place.

Momo stayed perfectly still, almost immobile, her haunches rigid and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She had seen Hollows that size, and even the Menos Grande were the height of this demon as well, but nothing had prepared her for this.

She clenched her fists, one around her zanpakuto especially. If she had fought against such beings, then facing the one and only Aku shouldn't be that different.

Except, of course, he was the last one she would see.

Still shaking, Momo lifted herself up from the ground and raised her head to look up to face the demon known as the Shogun of Sorrow towering over her.

"I-I'm the lieutenant of the 5th Squad of the 13 Court Squads of-"

"_**Spare me the formalities, child. Now answer my question – why is such a little girl like you in the realm such as mine?" **_

The young Soul Reaper gripped her zanpakuto close to her side, and narrowed her eyes. "I came to see you, as you _are_ the Shogun of Sorrow, aren't you?" Her voice was tinged with a strong, determined timbre that she had uttered so few times before, something that surprised her.

Upon hearing the little one's daring words, the demon smiled, letting a deep, rumbling laugh escape him, the realm shaking at its very power.

She stepped back.

She didn't even flinch.

"_**You are correct, little one. I see that you have heard of me from where you have come from, is that right?" **_Aku had then placed his hands on his hips, the smile still present on his face, eyes lowered to look directly down at her.

Momo bit her lip; she may have said too much already, but if it was worth making him take her offer, then so be it.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I have heard a lot about you back where I'm from. Why, you're a legend around there; you're the demon that everyone has said to fear and to also revere." Momo blinked and cursed herself for making the words 'fear' and 'revere' rhyme by accident.

The demon was almost taken aback by her words, but another smile painted his features, one curved fang peaking from beneath his lip. She sighed in relief that she was on the famous wizard's good side now.

"_**You have been taught very well, little one. They indeed should fear the all powerful Aku, and they should know who the master of this realm truly is." **_His thick accented brogue of ancient Japanese she had heard before was brimming with an arrogance that knew no bounds as he let one hand leave his side and thread his fingers in his crimson orange beard.

The young Soul Reaper narrowed her eyes, biting her tongue in case she would say anything that would catch the demon off-guard. She let out a deep breath, and loosened her grip on her sword before looking up to the demon.

"I came here so that you would consider my offer, Aku."

Aku was whisked away from his praise-induced thoughts when he heard the young girl's voice, catching what he heard to be an offer.

"_**An offer, you say?"**_ The demon arched one fiery eyebrow in disdain and suspicion, and then a mocking grin framed his features. _**"Ha!**_ _**Just what can you, a foolish little girl such as yourself, offer me? I would like to hear it." **_

Momo sighed listlessly, furrowing her eyes as the shadows danced upon her face; she hoped that she didn't have to say what she had come for, foolishly thinking that the wizard would read her mind or something of the sort. Her doubts fell away as she stepped forward once, her hand leaving her sword and leaving it to hang idle next to it.

"I came here, Aku, b-because…."

She felt the demon's baleful shards of jade flicker upon her, flinching at the very agony of being watched in judgment.

"_**Yes?"**_

The wizard's eyes narrowed into impatient slits of emerald, casting a burning glare down at the girl.

"_**Well? Speak!" **_

She swallowed.

And said….

"I came here so you can take my sword, - T-Tobiume, and so that you can-you can…so that you can….."

A breath.

And then….

"Take my soul…."

She regretted those words the moment she uttered them.

"_**WHAT?"**_

Before her very eyes, in his form alike in both the shadows and the darkness, he twisted himself into what were tendrils of oily darkness. The darkness twisted and lunged at her before she would grab her sword, and she stepped backwards, startled, and falling flat onto her back as the shadows retracted. The tendrils of such blackness then bent into the grotesque shape of the demon he was before, sure to have her witness who she was tripling with.

Momo reached for her sword and held it haphazardly next to her, her legs buckled underneath her, her form shaking. She narrowed her eyes into thin slits into a façade of determination, to the point where she almost couldn't see Aku bending down to fix his eyes on her. She didn't want to look as she was facing his famous wrath anyway.

"_**Insolent fool! Do you take me, Aku, for someone such as yourself? You should be disciplined for such knavery – strictly disciplined!" **_

The young Soul Reaper flinched visibly under the power of the demon's words, booming and resonated in her and inside the realm until she thought the walls were going to collapse under such duress. She had endured many words of criticism and yelling bouts from her superiors before, but from Aku, it was more different, and much more terrifying.

She clenched her fists, and pointed her sword in the demon's face, her visage of fear broken and determination in play.

"I'm not leaving, Aku! Not until you consider it – not until you consider taking my soul! I have to…I have to – I have to save my friend-!"

Emerald eyes grew wide, blinking in amazement and surprise.

Momo grit her teeth, releasing a long suppressed breath through her nostrils, her sword still aimed at the towering demon. She too was surprised at her outburst, at her sudden bravery when she was known for being meek and timid, but now was not the time to reveal cowardice.

The demon retracted from her, his agile and shadowy form rooting itself to the platform, placing his hands behind his back, the angry expression on his face fading into what appeared to both curious and intrigued, almost pondering even.

"_**So….you came to the almighty Aku so that you lend me your sword and your soul on a silver platter, just like that? What trickery is this – what are you hiding underneath that façade, little girl? " **_

The young Soul Reaper got to her feet, still holding out her sword toward Aku, and widened her eyes a little, her vision clearer than earlier.

"No, Aku; it's no trick. I want you, as you said, the shape-shifting master of darkness to take my sword, my only form of protection **and**__to take my soul."

The demon formed a skeptical scowl on his face, still wary of the Soul Reaper's intentions with him.

"_**Is that so?" **_

Momo firmly gazed at the demon, pursing her lips, and lowered her sword, the tip barely scratching the platform.

"Yes."

"_**Hmm…if what you are saying is true, you should consider your options. Are you absolutely certain about this, child?" **_Aku questioned, his voice thick with clear disbelief and growing intrigue.

The former lieutenant flinched at the demon's voice, one gravelly if not expressive. "I do. If I hand over my sword Tobiume, my zanpakuto…and….my soul….will you….will you… save my friend…..Toshiro Hitsugaya?"

The demon narrowed his eyes, making a strange, inhuman expression, his features warp and blur ever so slightly. This child was simply offering her most trusted sword and what mad her who she was over to him, just to save a friend.

How touching.

She was making it too easy for him, the Deliverer of Darkness.

"_**You do know the consequences if I beseech your request, child? If I take your sword, you will have nothing to protect yourself against what plagues your world. And more importantly, if I take your soul, you will simply be an empty shell upon your realm, a dry husk, a shadow of your former self. Your soul will belong to me for all eternity."**_

Momo felt her breath get caught in her throat, but exhaled roughly, clenching her fist once again, small rivers of burgundy tracing and marking her hand.

"I understand. I'm doing this so that Toshiro would not have to worry about me anymore, so that I wouldn't be a burden to him. If I stay in one place, then he wouldn't have to worry about me. He has risked his life many times for me when I refuse to stay in one place, and he shouldn't have to….die because of my mistakes." She closed her eyes, if only for a moment, and then opened them again, a weight lifted off her shoulders at that point.

The wizard softened his gaze upon the young Soul Reaper; there was an admirable quality about the girl. She was relinquishing her own identity so that she would sacrifice herself for another, in this case offering her soul to the demon not of her world but of another. It was a quality that he had seen from someone else, who was all too familiar with him.

She was strong, but she was also weak.

Amused and very much intrigued by the girl's offer, Aku couldn't help the grin the held both glee and malice in his dark features.

Grimly aware of her proximity to him, Momo stepped back, swallowing what saliva remained in her mouth as it became dry as a desert.

Nor did it matter to her anyway.

The demon began to turn into the blackness that were the shadow's tendrils once again; the platform seemingly pulled from underneath her. She had regained her breath when she had realized that before her was the demon, not as towering as a skyscraper, but just as tall as a human male would be.

She looked up to the demon in both awe and newborn fear, standing perfectly still in his presence, the close proximity almost unbearable to withstand. In fact, it was more disturbing than he was near the realm's crimson skies.

Momo stepped back once again.

"_**My dear, you have no second thoughts about your decision to give your sword and your very soul to me, the one and only Aku?" **_Aku then reached out a blackened hand and let one obsidian finger tuck itself under the young lieutenant's chin, gently pulling her forward to him, his faces inches near hers.

She shivered under the demon's grasp, her eyes wincing as they had made contact with his ebony orbs, fire flickering above them, but murky and dark as he forever would be.

"Yes. I have made my decision. I have thought of the consequences, I had second thoughts, I've decided that it's for the best."

The demon took her chin in a firm grip, almost in a vice, the talons on his fingers cutting onto her flesh, his eyes morphing into malevolent slits.

"_**Excellent, my dear…"**_

The demon smiled, a fanged grin more and more apparent from him, earning a narrow eyed look from the young lieutenant.

Aku finally let her go from his grasp, his form of the blackness slithering and within the shadows inside the very fathoms of the realm, the evil that he had created.

She knew that it was now or never…..

The young Soul Reaper took her sword from its belt, sheath and all, and knelt on one knee, a custom that she was well aware of, and placed her sword on her fanned hands. She bowed her head as she lifted her hands that displayed Tobiume in an honorary and traditional manner, a mock reference that never was to be for a being such as Aku.

"Deliverer of Darkness, Masters of Masters, Shogun of Sorrow, I offer you my zanpakuto Tobiume, my one and only sword. I pass it onto you, Aku. I…..I….I also offer you my very being, what makes me who I am, and the core of my being. I offer you my soul in exchange for the protection for Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the Soul Society."

Without hesitation, yet enjoying her display, Aku took the sword away from Momo, who cringed at the very loss of her sword, the rip in her heart overwhelming, and put her hands on the platform, head still hung.

"_**You are quite the altruistic one." **_The demon's gravelly voice had changed eerily from the booming pitch into black velvet in those words, smoky almost.

Momo furrowed her eyes and lifted her head, getting onto her feet for what would be the final time, resonance coursing through her. "Now, Aku….you have my sword….and now….you….you can have my soul…."

Aku made his grin into an inquiring tilt of his ominous smile, the look of satisfaction and wickedness abound on his face.

"_**I accept your one wish."**_

With those words uttered, the young Soul Reaper shut her eyes tightly; her arms outstretched and wide, the rumbling from within her very being, her core and her own self heard aloud.

A hiss broke the smoldering silence, with the smoky accent brogue of the demon coalescing in a foreign tongue that she couldn't comprehend. It was a demonic chant, a prayer, a summoning, conjuring themselves in one breath.

She then felt an ethereal if not sinister array of wet, slick shrouds trail around her, warm yet damp, surrounding her, almost devouring her.

She didn't dare open her eyes in the midst of all of this; the wet blackness entered into her very being, reaching into her and enveloping all, wrapping and searching for her soul, caressing her and embracing her all at once.

"_**What is your name, my dear?"**_

He was pleased, an edge of accomplishment mixed with disturbing delight.

She was floating, almost falling.

"Momo Hinamori…"

A low chuckle was made known.

"_**Who does your soul belong to? Who do **__**you**__** belong to from now on, until eternity's end?"**_

She opened her eyes.

"Aku."

A great surge of white light traveled around her, consuming her, blackness melding with red and white, blackness fulfilling the dark contract that she had signed at her own accord. She opened her mouth and felt the surge of blackness reach into her mouth for her very being, her soul caught by the blackness and pulled from within her.

Something was stolen.

Her heart, her soul….

Her very soul…

Deep, cackling laugh shook her, the laugh from the one and only demon who fulfilled his part of her bargain, a laugh that shattered what was left of her. It broke what was left of the sweet silence as the rumbling was felt once more, the shadows taking her, encircling her, and holding her for all time.

Empty….

She felt empty…

Nothingness…

Except that she was falling.

For all time.

Her soul belonged to the demon now.

Feeing nothing was her opiate, a white light that let her know that without feeling, without emotion, there was nothing to worry about.

Momo Hinamori knew from then on, her soul belonged to Aku, the demon who gladly accepted her offering so that he would be binding her to him from now on to eternity, in the promise of protecting the one she truly cared about.

Her eyes opened.

They were listless, lifeless.

Her soul was gone, an opiate hopefully to her own conscience.

_If I say, shut your eyes…._

_**(A/N: Sorry about the late story – college continues to take time away from writing stories like this one. This was my first fic featuring Samurai Jack, not the first with Bleach, and my first characterizing both Aku and Hinamori; it was an idea that came to me in a dream, and lo and behold. Can you tell that I'm obsessed now? Read and review!) **_


End file.
